What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[CountDeMoney]

The Economist's interview with Trump didn't sound like he has any clue what he even wants to change.

He will change what the last person he spoke with tells him to change.  Or not. 

[Jacob]

The question though is whether he's relatively* sane on foreign issues - the President has the most impact on those.

* relative to Trump.


Plus, I'm a dirty foreigner. Extremism on domestic issues won't affect me as much! 

That is a question, particularly relevant to those of us who are not American. However, the discussion we were having was debating the question whether Pence is a standard bland moderate republican as BB asserted.

[Berkut]

The "damage" to Indiana wasn't caused by Pence - it was caused by out of state boycotts of Indiana.

In response to the radical policies he implemented legalizing discrimination, yes.

The damage to the Confederate states was not caused by their secession, but by those Union armies marching around destroying stuff.

[Berkut]

The question though is whether he's relatively* sane on foreign issues - the President has the most impact on those.

* relative to Trump.


Plus, I'm a dirty foreigner. Extremism on domestic issues won't affect me as much! 

That is a question, particularly relevant to those of us who are not American. However, the discussion we were having was debating the question whether Pence is a standard bland moderate republican as BB asserted.

He is most certainly *not* anything of the kind.

Kasich is a standard bland moderate republican. Romney. Jeb Bush.

Pence is a right wing religious zealot.

[Eddie Teach]

Romney is a plutocrat who is RINO on social issues. Hardly standard. Kasich or Bush, sure.

[CountDeMoney]

"The entire thing has been a witch hunt," Mr. Trump said. "There's no collusion between, certainly, myself and my campaign — but I can only speak for myself — and the Russians — zero."

Such a hilariously bad passive-aggressive punch puller.   

[CountDeMoney]

I wonder how hard Trump is rage-seething on whoever told him to nominate Rosenstein for the deputy AG position back in January in the first place.

[dps]

Lieberman for FBI director?

[jimmy olsen]

Surprising no one

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/334041-us-spies-heard-russian-intel-vowing-to-hit-clinton-report

US spies heard Russian intelligence agent vowing to target Clinton: report

By Mark Hensch - 05/18/17 11:15 AM EDT

  US spies heard Russian intelligence agent vowing to target Clinton: report

U.S. spies reportedly heard a Russian military intelligence officer bragging about his organization planning to target Hillary Clinton in May 2016.

The officer told a colleague that GRU would cause havoc in America's presidential election, Time reported Thursday.

The officer reportedly described the intelligence agency's effort as retribution for what Russian President Vladimir Putin considered Clinton's influence campaign against him while serving as secretary of State.

Senior U.S. intelligence officials told Time that American spies transcribed the conversation and sent it to headquarters for analysis.

Time reported that an official document based on the raw intelligence was then circulated.
"We didn't really understand the context of it until much later," a senior U.S. intelligence official said.

Putin publicly accused Clinton of conducting a major operation against Russia when protests erupted in more than 70 cities in 2011.

The Russian leader said that Clinton had sent "a signal" to demonstrators and that the State Department had actively worked to fuel the unrest.

The State Department countered that it had only funded pro-democracy organizations.

Former officials told Time that such operations would have required a special intelligence finding by the president.

Former President Obama was unlikely to have issued such a directive, Time's sources added.

Multiple investigations are now looking into Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and any possible coordination with President Trump's campaign.

[11B4V]

[Ed Anger]

A ceeement  pond!

[derspiess]

Mayor of Bugtussle!

[jimmy olsen]

Good news

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/334162-senators-told-of-broadening-russia-investigation

Senators told of broadening Russia investigation
BY KATIE BO WILLIAMS AND JORDAIN CARNEY - 05/18/17 06:39 PM EDT

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein dropped two bombshells during a hotly-anticipated appearance before the Senate on Thursday, less than 24 hours after he announced the appointment of a special prosecutor in the FBI's investigation into Russian election meddling.

According to lawmakers, Rosenstein confirmed that the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the election is no longer strictly a counterintelligence investigation — a kind of probe that does not normally result in charges — but also a criminal one.

He also said he was aware President Trump intended to fire Comey prior to penning a memo that the White House later used as its justification for the dismissal.

Lawmakers emerged from the closed-door meeting painting a sober picture of the briefing. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) described the mood in the room as serious and thoughtful.

Across town, as lawmakers descended into a secure facility to receive the briefing, Trump was ripping the appointment of the special counsel as something that "hurts the country."

"I believe it hurts the country terribly, because it shows we're a divided, mixed-up, not-unified country," Trump told news anchors at a luncheon at the White House.

But Republicans declined to echo the president's outrage amid an increasingly bipartisan swirl of concern that the White House may have tried to interfere with the FBI's investigation.

"The president is entitled to his opinion, but we're a nation of laws. ... The acting attorney general has the authority to appoint a special counsel and has done so," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told reporters.

Rosenstein met with lawmakers for more than an hour, but apparently gave few details about the decision-making process for firing Comey, including the role of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who instructed him to write the Comey memo, or any conversations he had with President Trump.

"He declined to answer in any meaningful way questions about the process that lead to the decision to fire Jim Comey — the preparation of his memo, who told him [to write it]," Coons said, adding that he was asked whether he was directed to produce the memo multiple times.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, added that Rosenstein "did not answer specifics on virtually any question that was asked."

But senators — in part reassured by the selection of former FBI director Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor — signaled they were willing to give forgive Rosenstein's tight-lipped stance if it was meant to protect the FBI's investigation.

"As it became clear how little he was willing to talk about, it also became clear how broad this investigation that Mueller is about to undertake actually is," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said, "there was some frustration" in the room.

"People wanted questions answered ...[but] it's not unreasonable position for him to take. People were respectful and thankful he showed up. He showed up. He didn't have to."

Democrats pointed to the role of Sessions as one of their top unanswered questions leaving the briefing. Sessions recused himself earlier this year from FBI's investigation but was involved in the decision to fire Comey — a move Democrats argue violated his promise.

"Many of us including myself asked that question," Durbin said. "I can't square Sessions's recusal with his role in dismissing the person who was in charge of the investigation."

Rosenstein will cross the Capitol on Friday to hold an identical meeting with House lawmakers. Democrats also want Sessions to meet with all senators during a separate closed-door briefing.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told reporters that Rosenstein was concerned that any comments he made to senators in the closed-door briefing "would be made public to press, so therefore he felt limited in what he could say."

Lawmakers on the Intelligence and Judiciary committees reportedly expressed concerns during the meeting that Mueller's appointment will interfere with Congress's ability to investigate election meddling — and possibly preclude testimony by Comey.

Multiple committees have been clamoring for Comey to appear on the Hill to describe both the circumstances surrounding his dismissal and answer questions about any interference in the FBI's investigation by the White House.

Coons called the impact of the appointment on Comey's testimony "an open question."

Both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees are conducting their own probes into Russian interference in the election. Congressional investigations often cede jurisdiction to any concurrent federal investigations — a coordinating process called "deconfliction."

Rosenstein on Wednesday gave former FBI Director Bob Mueller control of not only the investigation into whether Trump campaign associates coordinated with Russia, but also any other matters that "may arise directly from the investigation" — like Comey's dismissal.

Asked about the potential that the competing investigation could limit who appears before their committee, Warner called it a "great question" but that he and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) needed more information from Mueller.

"In many ways our purview is broader than what may be some of the Justice Department/FBI investigation," he added, defending the need to continue the congressional investigations.

There was one moment of levity in the breifing, lawmakers said.

One senator reportedly asked Rosenstein, very gravely, "I insist that you answer the one question that is on all our minds: how do we appropriately pronounce your name?"

"Rosen-stine" is correct, he replied.

[11B4V]

[Barrister]

There's a significant overlap IMO. The radical right white evangelical movement conservatism is full of frauds, hucksters, and con-artists monetizing the fears of old white people. Trump is the current end-point of that evolution but he is not some aberration appearing out of nowhere. The years of the right wing political and media establishments monetizing Obama and Hillary conspiracies, over-priced gold and back-yard bunkers, survivalist powdered meals, Islamophobia, prosperity gospel, is what allowed Trump's political career to happen.

Look, I'm not so much picking on your views specifically, but more the fact that I read similar views from elected Democrats and activists in the US.

It's a question of strategy.  Painting Trump as "the current end point" of the current GOP is fabulous at firing up the Bernie Bros, at energizing the base.  What it is not good at is convincing centrists and moderate Republicans to break from Trump.  To the extent you actually want to see Trump impeached you need GOP House leadership on board.  To bring them on board you have to paint Trump as an aberration against the GOP and Conservatism - not as it's ultimate conclusion.